A member of Afghanistan's government-backed militia program has shot and killed five of his colleagues, an official said Friday.

The shooting happened Thursday morning in a remote part of Badghis province's Qadis district, said provincial government spokesman Mirwais Mirzakwal. He said he did not have further details because the region is difficult to reach over the telephone but that investigators have been sent to the site of the shooting.

The attacker was a member of the Afghan Local Police, a program in which the government in Kabul and international allies train and fund villagers to mount defense forces against insurgents.

It was the latest in a string of insider attacks by members of the Afghan security forces against colleagues or international advisers.

Such attacks threaten the strength of the Afghan forces just as they are working to take over responsibility from international troops. Afghan forces are scheduled to take over security responsibility for the entire country sometime next year.